Birthday cakes are good because they're delicious And they are free
by dangerouscat
Summary: It is Elizabeth's birthday and she is very excited. Sadly, it seems like her friends have forgotten...


When Eli opened her eyes, the sun was starting to rise. A new day was starting and it was special. The sky was blue and clear and the crows laughed, like they always do. But their laughter was not accusative, but like the voices of children running happily after leaving school for the day.

Because today was just not a regular day; it was a special day. It was her birthday!

Elizabeth got ready for breakfast. She covered herself in her recently washed clothes with the biggest smile. She practiced her facial expressions: after all, she was the star today. She had to be presentable for the celebration. So she looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Her teeth looked nice. Perfect.

When she left her room, she expected to see something different. After all, she felt different inside. She could barely hold the emotion in her chest. But, to her surprise, the Jouishishi headquarters were as normal as in any other day. Elizabeth was confused. Where was everyone? Where was the cake and the confetti? Something was not okay.

 _"Calm down,"_ she said to herself, _"they probably are just making the preparations for the celebration! How could they possibly forget about the brains of the team?"_

The traditional house they were staying in for the season was very wide, so Elizabeth decided to explore the areas of the house. With a little dancing, because she was a really talented dancer, Elizabeth advanced through the halls. Her big eyes searched almost every room inside, until reaching a very wide space where she could hear a lot of noise. When she stepped inside like a thunderbolt, all the people inside the room went silent.

"Good morning, Elizabeth-san!" The members of the Jouishishi said.

Elizabeth showed a sign. _"Good morning."  
_ She sat quietly in front of one of the desks. The room was too 'normal' for her liking.

"Oh! You are finally here, Elizabeth!" At last! The voice of her best friend was entering the room! For a moment she tried to hide her emotion, but failed to do it and showed an excited smile instead.

" _Good morning, Katsura-san!"_

The leader of the Jouishishi looked at her with the pure affection a man can have for his dearest pet.

"Elizabeth, you come at a very good time. Please come closer, I need to tell you something really important."

Elizabeth stood up, almost jumped, and walked to meet his comrade. Here they would come; the words she had been waiting for the entire morning. Katsura was a little secretive in the way he bent slightly forwards to her and placed his face close to his mouth, as if about to whisper.

"Elizabeth, this is really important. This is something only you can do." Katsura's voice was soft and warm, like the first rays of light at dawn. "There is a special shampoo I need you to buy for me. This is not like any other shampoo, so you need to go to a special place to get it. I'll give you the directions." He started writing in a piece of paper, then handling it to her.

"Only you can do this. We are going to be busy discussing political matters most of the day. Can you go? I hope you are aware this is an important mission."

Elizabeth could not believe her ears. Was she hearing right? No "Happy Birthday", but a "Buy me a shampoo"? She felt her hairy and attractive legs tremble, her eyes trying not to be filled with water and her spirit fight against the incredible temptation of punching her friend on the face. But she did not do that, she breathed one or two times and composed herself.

" _Okay, I'll do it."_ Elizabeth replied with her sign.

When she left the building with the money and directions on how to get to said place, she looked downwards. A single tear fell due to the confusion: Had they really forgotten about today? Could Katsura-san be that cold towards her? How could he not remember such an important date? Her mind was incredibly numb with questions, and she could swear the sky was darker and the birds were quieter than before. She went towards her destination with her shoulders weighing more than they should.

The world around her was more peaceful than the storm inside of her. She could see some kids playing on the park, old people riding their bicycles to get some supplies and a group monks discussing in hurried melodies something she could not understand.

She also started feeling the warmth of the sun, the sound of the small rivers delimiting the city, the smell of the flowers surrounding the streets and the faint and fading singing of the cicadas close to every tree. When she arrived to the establishment, Elizabeth found herself not feeling angry anymore.

She knocked the door three times before someone answered the door. It was an old lady.

"Please come in."

Elizabeth felt a little overwhelmed in such a cramped place; papers distributed on the desk, cooking utensils over the floor and several scents of flowers filling the air of a tiny room. Elizabeth did not want to waste much time.

" _I come for a 'Fluffy deluxe' shampoo. Do you have it?"_

"Ah, of course I can help you with that, dear." The old lady placed a red bottle inside a bag and then put it over a desk that was in front of Elizabeth. Elizabeth examined the bottle. It looked artisanal and the contents inside had a very unique, sweet smell. She was surprised; did Katsura-san really like sweet scents in first place? She paid with the exact amount of money, but did not feel compelled to leave yet. The grandma looked a little lonely and, somehow, she understood the feeling.

" _Is this shampoo homemade?"_

"Ah, yes. It is a secret formula that has been protected by my family for seven generations already. As you may notice, the scent is sweet but soft at the same time. When you use the shampoo for the first time, you will notice the difference in the softness of your hair. The shampoo has no chemicals, but a very special combination of plants, so it will be good for the hair of the person that uses it."

" _That's amazing."_

"Thank you, dear. You are very nice. This family used to be very successful when the production was at its peak a year ago." The old lady mentioned, sadness in her voice.

Elizabeth did not want to intrude much, but the lady seemed lonely and she just could not leave her feeling sad.

" _Are you having problems right now?"_

The old lady sighs. "I don't want to bother you with this story but, to be short, we had a special machine that automatized the process. Sadly, it doesn't work anymore. Now I can only sell the quantity I can prepare with my own hands."

Elizabeth looked at the time. It was the middle of the afternoon already. But she really, really wanted to do something to help the lady of the shampoo.

" _Let me take a look at it."_

Two hours later, Elizabeth managed to repair the machine. The old lady was amazed by Elizabeth's abilities! It turned out that Elizabeth had a lot of talents. She was just not a very good dancer; she was a skilled technician too. It was not hard for her to repair these machines because it was Amanto technology she was familiar with. The old lady thanked her with tea and a piece of strawberry pie. She also gave Elizabeth a second bottle of shampoo for free.

"Thank you so much for your help. I cannot believe it is finally working. Please come back again." She said. "But, why are you so sad?"

Elizabeth was surprised the old lady could see behind her mask.

" _Today is my birthday, but my best friend did not remember it. It made me feel a little sad."_

"Oh, is that so?" The old lady asked. "In that case, Happy Birthday dear. Do not worry; for the day is not over yet. I'm sure you will be surprised. Please take care when you return home."

" _I will."_

When she came back to the big house the Jouishishi lived in, it was already late and the entire place was dark. It seemed nobody was home. Elizabeth just exhaled and tried to find the switch of the main entrance. Elizabeth's sight was not very good at night.

When she finally found the switch and pushed it, she was surprised by the entire place decorated with beautiful ribbons and a lot of confetti thrown into her face. At least 30 people welcomed her at the same time.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELIZABETH-SAN!"

Elizabeth didn't know how to react! She did not expect them to remember her birthday, she was just supposed to finish her errand, watch some Korean dramas and then go to sleep. Instead, she finds herself crying of happiness and without the ability to give a good response to her comrades.

"Now, now, Elizabeth," Katsura Kotarou began speaking as the entire group was clapping. "why don't you come and have some cake?"

The cake was just enormous, decorated with cute stars made of sugar and her face drawn on the upper surface of it. It had around three levels, so the cake was big enough to satiate the hunger of all the people attending the party.

Elizabeth approached Katsura and they united into a tight embrace.

" _K-Katsura-san…"_ Elizabeth cried even more, and for some reason Katsura started crying too.

"E-Elizabeth…"

" _K-Katsura-san…"_

"E-Elizabeth… Happy Birthday, Elizabeth! I am so happy, Elizabeth! You are growing so much!" The guy seemed too overwhelmed, as it was his own birthday. "Now come, you have to wish for something and blow the candles of the cake!"

Elizabeth did as she was told; she looked at the candles in front of her and, then, looked at all the comrades surrounding her. How could she possibly even believe that they would forget? She had been so silly all this time!

She remembered the words of the old lady and concluded the old lady was very perceptive. Maybe she should have more faith in his friends, in first place.

Elizabeth smiled at Katsura and blew the candles.

 _For more birthdays like this…  
So I can still see Katsura-san's smile next year. _


End file.
